DeeDee w/staggering gait

Claire and DeeDee

Claire and DeeDee

Member Since 2019
She's had high readings past 3 days. Been on 0.5u Lantus. Not a lot of appetite but ate some. Assume signature and spreadsheet carries over from main forum.
 
Hi Claire!

Welcome to the Lantus / Basaglar and Levemir forum! Your signature and spreadsheet do carry over :)

Is it possible that DeeDee may have neuropathy? or is this brand new?

Have you tested for ketones? it might be a good idea just in case :)
 
She was staggering a month ago. Not sure what neuropathy is. Considered that staggering or wobbling due to hyperthyroidism. She spits out pill sometimes.
 
Ah-ha. I don't know enough about hyperthyroidism to judge that.

In the meantime, just to be safe, it would be good to get a BG test just to rule out hypoglycemia. That's both very dangerous (esp. if it's at the "staggering" stage) and can be addressed if it's caught, so I'd feel better if we knew for sure whether or not that was what we were dealing with!
 
What is " lower than usual?" She was lower for some of the tests over past few days. I shot about 9a.m. Her test was at 8:45a.m. Thanks.
 
OK, that's a good number. I was just worried because she'd dropped into greens before, and it's not far from there into the lime green danger zone, but it doesn't look like that's her issue today.
 
You might want to read this about why a cat may be "Wobbly" http://www.animalplanet.com/pets/healthy-pets/what-would-cause-cat-to-fall-over/ Have you told the VET? I'd be worried about why she's staggering & wobbly.

If it's just the hind legs it's probably Neuropathy from the diabetes & your cat needs Methyl B-12 I haven't read anything about Hyperthyroidism causing staggering or being wobbly.

What are you feeding her? If you eliminate all dry food it will bring her #'s down. I've seen some cats go into remission by stopping all dry food.

Who has been guiding you on the correct dose? When you post please put a ? & the date. Someone with more experience will come on to help you.
Best of Luck with DeeDee.
 
How long has she been displaying this kind of gait? Does it happen regularly or only when you notice her BG's are particularly high? I've heard of some cats where their neuropathy is worse when their BG is high. Gets better as the bg comes down. She may need to see your vet for this one. Many cats have been improved once they start on meds for this condition. Getting the BG down helps tremendously as well. That being said, IF it's neuropathy. Hard to make a chair side diagnosis...
 
Claire and DeeDee said:
She was staggering a month ago. Not sure what neuropathy is. Considered that staggering or wobbling due to hyperthyroidism. She spits out pill sometimes.
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My Tina was hyperthyroid before we did radioactive iodine treatment, and she never staggered or wobbled because of it. She did get neuropathy from untreated diabetes though - this can look like a weak or wobbly hind end.
 
By my time calculation that 159 is 2.5 hours post shot which is a pretty swift drop in BG.. If you are still there, please feed Dee Dee some medium or high carb food before you leave to slow down the drop and make sure she stays safe while you are gone. I wonder if Dee Dee is dropping low but we don't know because you have not been getting any mid cycle tests.
 
Claire, it's really important to get some mid cycle tests to make sure Dee Dee's BG is not dropping too low and also to get a test at EVERY night before bed to make sure Dee Dee isn't dropping too fast or too much at night. Please test again as soon as you can.
 
Thanks much to all for your concern.:bighug: DDs most recent test was 73 (3 hrs. since 159 test). Wobbling -hind legs-began early this a.m. She isn't wobbling now. Just looks a little weak on hind legs. Thanks for the "wobbly" link.
Stagger/wobble happened a month ago, lasting a couple days. It was when readings were very high (noted on spreadsheet). It stopped when readings dropped.
Has been on wet food for a month exactly, including chicken and salmon-human food.
Chris and a couple other members from Main Forum have guided on dose.
Drop from 234 to 159 in 2.5hrs. is not unusual for her. I wasn't home when it was suggested to give her some high carb food. Spreadsheet indicates she has had a few mid-cycle tests. I'm not always home mid-cycle. If she reads high (400's) at PMPS, I didn't think too important to do a before bed test. Maybe that's not wise.
Her readings have been on high side this past week on 0.5u. Wonder if dose can be increased.

Thyroidism condition seems unrelated. Much gratitude!
 
Claire and DeeDee said:
If she reads high (400's) at PMPS, I didn't think too important to do a before bed test. Maybe that's not wise.
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My girl earned her first reduction (below 50) starting at 430, and several others starting even higher than that. There is a phenomenon some kitties do called "the high before the low". Before bed tests are really important cause so many cats go lower a night. You don't have to test exactly mid cycle, just sometime between +2 and +10 would be helpful in figuring out how low she is going.

Since you are following SLGS, that 73 means your new dose is 0.25 units. :D
 
Will do the before bed test now that I know about "the high before the low."
Confused about: A. "My girl earned her first reduction (below 50)..."
B. Why does 73 reading mean new dose is 0.25u?
Many thanks for your generous advice. Sorry for delayed response. Lost track of Wendy's post.
 
Since you are using the Start Low Go Slow method, reductions are taken below 90. DeeDee's BG may have gone below 50 the first time she earned a reduction, but any reading below 90 earns her a reduction. If you were using the TR protocol, then reductions wouldn't be earned unless BG went below 50. Perhaps you were still deciding which method to use when the first reduction was earned?
 
Thanks for responding. Since she tested at 73 this afternoon, that's why Wendy said to reduce to 0.25.
What happens after that? She stays at 0.25 for 7 cycles (If I recall Chris said 7 cycles)?
After 7 cycles, if she reads below 90, she goes OTJ?
A cycle is an AMPS and a PMPS in one day. Much appreciation!
 
We do have a dose we call 0.1 units, that follows 0.25 units.

Linda answered your question about my post. I was following the TR protocol for dosing which has a different reduction point from the SLGS dosing method that you are following. Going forward, hold this dose for seven days, unless she earns a reduction. At the end of seven days, you evaluate the dose based on the nadirs you are seeing,
 
Thanks Wendy. And I did the before bed test. It was 283.
For tomorrow please: Important to eat before shooting, regardless of what test reads?
How serious is neuropathy? Good night.
 
Claire and DeeDee said:
For tomorrow please: Important to eat before shooting, regardless of what test reads?
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It is really good for DD to have food before shooting but if she is in good numbers and doesn’t eat immediately you Don’t need to worry too much if she eats straight away. Lantus usually starts working (onset) around +2 so you would want to make sure DD had some food before then

Claire and DeeDee said:
How serious is neuropathy? Good night.
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It can be really serious if left untreated, but the prognosis is pretty good once you start treatment. Regulating DDs BG will help and many members also use methylcobaline with great results! The preferred brand around here is called Zobaline
 
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DeeDee acting unwell, weak. No appetite after a.m. shot. Wondering if reducing her insulin - now at 0.25u - is appropriate having these symptoms (possible neuropathy) and higher numbers. Her numbers are often high since 8/30, having been reduced to 0.5 on 8/28.
Think I should take her to vet. Still somewhat wobbly. If neuropathy, possible connection to high readings?
 
I think a vet visit is a good idea-- there's something up, here.

Make sure they test for ketones. AmandaE mentioned testing for these at home to get early warning of problems, but definitely something to look for at the vet any time a diabetic cat is acting "unwell".
 
Good that she is eating but I'd still get her checked at the vet if she is wobbly/staggering/eak. Could be she has an ear infection or something putting her balance off and keeping BG higher.
 
Thanks Nan and Linda for being available and for sound advice.
Can anyone address my question about any connection between reducing her the past week ( 0.5 and now 0.25) to the higher readings during same time? Please see previous post a few minutes ago. Thanks!
 
Her pre-shot numbers are higher since reducing, but mid-cycle she looks good. In terms of BG readings, she's on the right track reducing at the pace she has, it seems to be working for her.

That said, there are other possible health issues at play that might be interacting to influence her insulin needs, beyond just the readout of BG numbers. Sometimes, as Linda mentioned, a health issue such as an infection can cause the BG to go up, or to fluctuate as things get better or worse. Often, the best course of action is to address the "other" issue first, and then dose insulin around it, but step one is to diagnose that other issue.
 
Looks like DD is bouncing right now from the lower numbers yesterday during the day. This is normal and will pass. Give the new dose some time.
 
Getting a kitty regulated in blood sugar numbers will help the neuropathy.

Did you give insulin this morning? I see nothing on the spreadsheet. Lantus is angentler insulin. It is find if kitty is a grazer and doesn’t eat all at once.
 
I thought to compare what the vet says to what members say about the connection mentioned in last. Yes, other health issues nay be involved (like hyperthyroid) in the higher readings. Need to check ketones, neuropathy. So maybe just a coincidence-- the higher readings and reduced insulin.
Just recorded this a.m. sheet: she had 0.25u after AMPS of 324. Thanks for hanging in with me!
 
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